Isaac w



ienne w. sereine,

on Pnitnnntrnin, rnnssitvnnin.

onncintcn'rion' forming pm of Leners nemesio. renews, 135s-, camino. 263.21m. ninna .lzz'ginei epplcation dlc the drawings accompanying and .forming` port-A of this specification, in which- Figure l isavieiv in cross-section of the collnpsible tablet expended into a cylinder,

as when placed upon the cylinder of a pho! nogrnpi for use; Fig. 2 is a like View of the sanne liattened down or collapsed for mailing,r purposes or permnnentpreservetion. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of alike tablet collapsed, but not quite flattened, portly written over in the phonograph, and also shown the treneverscine. upon' which the `surplus maybe cut off for subsequent use and to lighten the tablet for mailing or other purposes. Fig. et is e sectional view taken npon one side of the tablet and in which the necton is' across the lines and grooves formed by the stylus of the phonograph, and Fig. Il e. top-view of ,the grooves 1:"s and P9.

'lhe lettering in all'the figures is uniform. The subjectmetter of my present applicetion originally formed e. part of my applica` tion for Letters Potent, Serial No.` 263,282, filed February 7, 1888, vided therefrom .to include' theV tablet in a separate patent. The said originel zipplicn.- tion comprised s working phonograph with whiclifthe tnblets which form the subject? metter of this divisional 'application were adopted to be used, and Areference is mode to that npplicntion to show such manner of use, though the toblete herein shown, described, .ond clnimed are adapted to be need with any suitable phonogrnph,nnd are not limited to the specitle devices shown :and described in snid originel nppliontion; and the snid son nd 45 .recording sind reproducing tsblets, surfaced an herein described end claimed, arenot liniited in myinvention to the specific foi-m shown, with .reference to the machiney described in my Qorigiunllyfiled application, Ibuit are applicablo to machines? using' tablets of other form, and my tablets may be constructed in other and having its surface 460,338, einen september 2e, isei.

and this application filed April 17, 1883. Scriol No; (No modal.)

shapes than those herein specifically sliown without departing from the principles and scope of my invention.

lMy invention relates to the construction of sometimes celled, upon which the stylne ci other inscribed tecord adapted to quently rep'rod need in reproducingphonograph, in which l incite my tablet in a cylindrical form hoving a ilexi- 'ble foundation oir' paper, cloth, or other snitv able substance, upon which'the plastic recording-surface' is inode by the application of a suitable composition, adherent thereto and having' asnrfsce adapted to be indented or inscribed by the stylus,A of n phonograph. Along the two opposite sidesof this cylinder be subsearticulate speech by a -'tion down to the row ,slit along esch side.

Wheniplsced upon the cylinder of a phonograph for use, these 'slits are closed andthe tablet'forms a cornplete cylinder; but when removed from the ,machine theeides moy becollapsed upon the foundation along the slitted lines, and the tablet becomes dat, having a double thickness end hinged 'jointe at the sides and ca pablo of beingagain erected into a cylinder at any time to be put into a similar machine for-subsequent use to reproduce the sounds the record of which it may bear or to receive such -record in esse it has not been previonsly Written upon. lt is in its collapsed or tintteneri form very suitoblefor sending through the -lnailsand may be pnt, like a letter-sheen into nn ordinary envelope, end, if the surface loe euch as l'prefer to nee, sind whichV will be hereinafter described, it will bear nnyennount'of hcrdnsnge Without ing'nry. These collopsed tablets also occupy very little space ond packed in lon edles, like postal-cards, for trans portotion, sale, nse,or preservation otter hsv'- ing received an inscribed record. Ido not always maliethese tubular or cylindrical tab-A lets with a single slit or cleft down ench side; but more than two slits mcy be'cut and more thon two hinged ,joints may be nsed,if so desi red. The plastic composition muet of course be snoiently dexible to permit the sides to n phonograph traces an indented, waved, ci"

may be tied up orY a. phonograph-tablet, or f phonogram, es it is i foundation, melting a nari.

be collapsed or fiattened, or nearlyl flattened,

though with an elastic surface of hard maierial the attening may not be complete, but is made so by tying in bundles, inclosing in envelopes, or compression in' other ways, af'

Ater the cylinder has been collapsed.. In ceror knitted into tubular form,which,` stretched upon a hat former with parallel sides, or, preferably, upon a cylindrical mandrel, I paint or coat over with my plastic composition until a requisite thick ness 'of surface 'has been secured, which may be about the one-twentieth of an inch, using the composition hot and :in a tiuid or semi-Huid state. When cooled and hardened, I'run a graduated slitter down each sideand cut throughthe composition to the desireddepth. The long tube then removed from the mandrel, I cut it into suitable lengths for use, and. as shown in my former application 0f vFebruary 7, 1888, with the machine therein described and claimed, I prefer to cut these lengths longer than the cylinder of the. machine, so that the tablet applied thereto may project from the free end of the cylinder thereof. When a portion has been inscribed by the stylus of the. machine, the remainder may be clipped off with a pair of scissors, when flattened, andV used again until the whole has been written overwithout waste.

My in vention also relates'to the composition of the plastic surface ot a phonographtablet; and it consists in using a. material or composition therefor which, when used in the machine for receiving a record, will be soft and plastic, but which said composition, after receiving the said record,is. rend-ered hard and resistant, so that the record once made may be Vreproduced indefinitely under the.

stylus of a reproducing-phonograph without abrasion or injuryto the record, and also that these tablets, bearing their records, may` be piled Aup in bundles, sent through the mails, and subjected to rough usage without Icrushing down the record or impairing its 'use for reproducing the sounds of the same.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure'l I have shown 1n transverse section a tubulai- `foundation of flexible material P; formed from a woven tubeor by pasting together the 4edges of a strip ot' paper, m uslin, or like substance. A suitable paste or glue for this purpose is malde of fish-glue, with boiling water, the joint treated with a solution of bichromate of potasse. afterward, (which renders the glue insoluble,) and then washed, if desired. This joint is btth flexible and insoluble. Upon the outerstrface ofV this tubular and vflexible foundation P3 is applied the plastic composition P to the requisite thickness, the outer surface being smooth and even. It maybe made so in a lathe, if desired, before removal from the cylindrical mandrel upon which the tube 1:'3 is fitted; but for usein the machine which forms the subject of my application of February 7, 1888, Ano special accuracy of surface is -required, as the plowpoint therein described will out to a definite distance from the foundation of the cylinder, irrespective of variation of the surface, and the record produced at the bottom of such grooves will be regular under the same circumstances.

The composition which I prefer to use and which forms a part of this invention is made by mixing gutta-percha with resin and melting the same together with or without the addition of other fusible or miscible substances to render the composition more or less soft and plastic when cold or when warmed for use in the machine. Gntta-perclia and resin melted together in equal parts, the proportion varying `with diderences inherent in different samples, make a composition hard and elastic 'at ordina-ry temperatures, but soft, plastic, and inelastic at a temperature of from 110 to 140 Fahrenheit, and will answer the purpose very. well. .It becomes Huid at or below the boiling-point of water and ca'n be readily applied with a brush or otherwise to the foundation P3 repeatedly, if necessary, until a proper thickness is secured* This composition or a similar one so-modifed by like temperature I prefer to use, when I soften the plastic surface of my tablet by artificially'- applied heat at the time the record is being made and fallow the said surface to harden by exposure to the ordinary temperature ofthe atmosphere, the same being repeated as often as desired, as shown and described inmy application of February 71888; but I sometimes prefer to harden my composition by the action of chemicals applied to the surface thereof in solution or otherwise, andin such case I usually add"\more or less starch to the said composition whenrbeing prepared, andv -methods of hardening substances are numerous and are well known for many purposes in the arts. I also sometimes use alcohol as a solvent instead of moistor dry'heat, and in such case I increase the'proportion of resin used .with my 'gutta-perchaor use a resinsoap,l so that the solvent action of alcohol applied to the surface will render the same soft and plastic until the said alcohol 'evaporates,` when the said surface will' resume its nor` mally hard and elastic condition. I also use other well-known mechanipal'equivalents besides 'the modifications enumerated above; but for cheapness, readiness of application, and convenience I prefer to' use a normally los hard and resistant suri'ince, softened tempoceases rarily whi le beingwrltten upon byartillicialiy made by the stylus thereof.' A' tablet thus heated will remain soft if made of approxi mately equal partsof gnttapercha and. resin with or without the addition of a few drops of glycerine or molasses for a period of from ten to twenty minutes; but I prefer to cmploy 'the heating device shown, described, and claimed in my application for- Lette'ls Patent hereinabove mentioned,as being more .as shown in Figs.

under control and capable of continuous use at any time. Such a, surface, when thns written upon, may be subsequently' used again, the former record having been espunged by passinga hot iron or the like over it and melting and smoothing down thesame to form a new surface. Gutta-percha has a 4special .value as an ingredient because, while most substances expand'by heat and contract by cooling, the reverse is the case with'guttapercha, so that when this substance is used andthe tubular tablet placed upon the cylinder of the phonograph and heated it not only becomes soft and plastic, but contracts upon the cylinder, so as 'to present a smooth,

firm, and even surface for the stylus of the The composition, thus applied phonograph. to the foundatiornas shown in the figures, and allowed to harden upon a mandrel, is divided longitudinally by the clefts or slits FP2, which, as shown, extend down to the foundation.. These slits may be made in the conn,-4 position P when softor after partially or wholly hardening. The hard elastic-surfaced cylinder cut into suitable lengths when removed from the mandrel or former presents asurfacc resistant against injury, which may be readily collapsed upon the hinges P P2, 2 and 3. As the cylinder or mandrel upon which the foundations are laid is the precise'diameter of the cylinderot the phonograph, this tablet may be readily sprung open and slipped over the free end of the cylinder of the machine, when the clefts P and P2 will be closedl and the surface of the tablets presentl a smooth outer side. If removed from the cylinder of the.machine when warm, it will flatten down completely, as, shown in Fig. 2; but it allowed to harden before removal it will only partially collapse, as shown in Fig. 3; but in either oase it may be made dat or cylindrical at will, and may be put into an ordinary envelope formailing, like a common letter, or may be bundled up with others and stored away without the necessity'of any special precaution, the com position heilig unaiected by water or moisture, mold, time, or accidental knocks'orblows.

As shown in Fig. 3, these tab1ets,when made longer than required, may be readily cut ci upon the line :rx ./r and at ordinary temperatures.

' respondingin .the special machine, as described in plication aforesaid; but the grooves of the 'recordmay be of 'sort offvrecordingstylus,

`bottom thereof into two 'application aforesaid;V lnecessary, the slits P -assist in compensating for ,face generally or for variation in the sub again. This is easily done when the tablet'is collapse'd'by a pair of scissors or other means.

ln Fig. 4 areshown the grooves P, made by the lstylus of the recording-phonograph, coriigure to those my other apany forni and made by any and the tubular col lapsible tablet muy be modificdto conform to the special requirements in any case and used with phonographc recording and reproduction than the machine specifically shown, described,and claimed in myother applicationn to Wit, Serial No. 263,282,'led February 7,

1888-with which my tablet as shown in thegu-res is especially adapted for use.

In certain cases, with'a very flexible snrface, it may not b'e necessary to cut the slits P P2 to any considerable dcpth,and in some cases thetablet in' tubular form may be made collapsible without the use oi specially-in scribed clefts, the foundation being thinned at certain places, or otherwise; but l prefer the form shown and above described, asthe record is not-in anywise impaired by the collapsingof said tubular tablet'when such-slits are used, however frequently the same may be repeated.

In Fig. 4 the groove P5 is divided at the slightly-separated parallel channels Pel, and, as shown and described in my application for Letters PatentA for a phonograph aforesaid, each of these grooves at its bottom contains an indented line of soundrecord produced by the dia-s phragm of a phonograph acting at the same time upon twolparallel styluses, one slightly in rear of 'the other, and producing an identical record in lthe slightly-separated subgrooves Pa and P9, but'oue of said records slightly in rearbf the other as the said tablet rotatesin the machine. A small part of such duplicate `record is seen in Fig. 4, in which P8 is the same as Pf, but slightly in advance, as shown by vthe direction onerecordcrossesthecleft Patatimewhen the other record is upon the solid surface of P4, and anyinequality due to the cleft P is compensatedfor by a duplicate time and upon the same diaphragm.' This duplicate record Iusc with the phonograph as shown, described, and claimed in 'my other but it is not 'strictly and P2, it. properly made, making a very slight dierence, and, if the surface Pis hardened scarcely any, the blunt reproducingstylus crossing the closed slit very readily; 'but the -duplicaterecords stance, as was fuiiyexpla'ined in my former application, and 'they are of' use for other reasons,as in .case of defect of the recording of the arrow,so that irregnlarityot sur-- the surplus need made by my,

8o ing instruments of other form and constructheparallel record. acting through reproducingstyius at the same 4 accese or reproducing stylus of the `machine or of the cylinder or working parts thereof. For use in ordinary phonographs they may be dispensed with, if desired.

In making my composition for the surface of my tablets other gums or resins may be used, and llinseed-oil may be used as one of the ingredients, as well as caoutchouc, in lieu of gutta-percha, a large number of like equi valents being .known for ull suchsubstances in thel arts; and l do not specifically confine myself to the use of any single ingredient, except as enumerated in the specific claims of those which hereinafter follow.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is4k 1. A phonograph-tablet for the record au-d reproduction of sounds, consisting of two or more flexible leaves hinged together at their sides and adapted to be-expanded into a cylinder to be extended over the cylinder of a phonographic machine, said leaves having surfaces adapt-ed to receive the indentations or other record of sound produced by said phonograph, the said tablet4 adapted to be subsequently flattened upon said hinged sides when removed from said phonograph and subsequently expandedl for use upon the cylinder of a sound-reproducing phonograph, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. As an article' of manufacture, a Aphonograph sound recording andreproducing tabltf, consisting of a flexible foundation of paper, fabric, or the like formed into a tube, and a surface of plastic substance attached thereto, said surface adapted to receive and retain the sound-produced record oa phonograph, the said tubular tablet flexible and its sides adapted to be flattened together or collapsed for mailing or other purposes Withput destruction of said record, substantially as herein set forth.

3. As an article of manufacture, a laterallycollapsible tubular phonograph -tablet adapted to receive a phonographic record when expanded, to be subsequently collapsed and afterward again expanded for use in a reproducing-pho'ncgraph, substantially as deA scribed.

4. In aphonograph-tablet, Ithe combination i of the flexible tubular foundation P3, the plastic recording-surface P-, and the longitudinal clefts P P2, extended through said surface P* down to said fiexible foundation P3, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described. A

5. The laterally-liexible collapsible tubular phonograph-tablet having the surface thereof longitudinally divided into two 'or more segkments land provided with flexible hinged joints at the sides of said segments, substantially as described.l

6. Aln a recording and reproducing tablet, a flexible foundation and a plastic surface formed into a tubular case, said surface having clefts extended along the sides of .said tube through said plastic surface, said surface adapted to have a continuous record in said plastic material extending inpara-llcl lines arourdsaid tube and crossing the clefts thereof, said tube adapted to be collapsed or ilattened,and whenagain expanded, as around the reproducing-cylinder of a phonograph,

having said lines ofrecordon adjacent'sides of said cleft-s match with cach other as originally produced and produce a continuous record therefrom, substantially as described.

7. The tubular phonograph-tablet' having a flexible foundation and a plasticv surface, the same adapted to be collapsed or flattened for mailing or other purposes, said tubular tablet y made longer than the cylinder of the machine upon which it is to be used, the surplus length adapted to be cut off with a pair of scissors or the like when the saine is attened, both sides cut simultaneously,'if desired, said surplus serving for subsequent use as a separate tablet till all is used, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. A tubular collapsible tablet for phono` graphs, having a flexible foundation of fabric or thelike and' a normally hard and resistant, surface of considerable thickness, said surface adapted to be softened and made plastic by heat or otherwise for use in said recording-phonograph and subsequently hardened, substantially as described.

9. A collapsible tubular phonograph-tablet adapted to 'oe-flattened for preservation in' bundles for mailing or other purposes and having a surface of considerable thickness IOO composed of a substance adapted to be made plastic for use with a recording-phonograph and to be subsequently hardened and made resistant, substantially as described.

l0. A phonograph-tablet consisting of two flat yielding surfaees,the edges thereof united by flexible hinges and the whole adapted to be expanded to form acylindreal tablet extending over the cylinder of aphonograph for use therewith, said surfaces having a composition applied thereto to receive and Ireproduce the record of' said phonograph, and said com position acted upon by the stylus of arecording-phonograph ina soft and plastic state and subsequently hardened for use under the stylus of a reproduciug-phonograph, substantially as described.

11. In combination with the resistant and elastic surface P, adapted to be softened by heat and subsequently hardened, the flexible tubulaifoundation l, attached to an porting saidI surface, andI the longitudinal clefts P' P2, extended through said surface down to said foundation, the whole adapted to be flattened when not in use and to be expanded to fo'rin an open tube or cylinder to closely fit over the cylinder of a phonograph and to be softened to present a plastic'surface for receiving-the record from the stylus of' said phonograph, said surface subsequently madehard and resistantfor the retention or sup- 1 reproduction or said LTL icones described.

l?. In va phonograph recording and reproducing tablet, the surface com posed of a body of brutta-,perche with or Without the admistnre of modifying substancessaid surface adapted to be softened by artificial heat for receiving the pbonographic record and subsequently made hard and elastic by the ordinary atmospheric temperature, substantially as and for the purposes described.

`l 3. Aphoncgreplrteblet composed of gatta-v.

perche and resin applied in a heated and fluid or scmifliuid state to a flexible foundation and forming e body thereupon, said body and said foundation composing a recording and reproducing tablet for pbonographic purposes, substantially as described.

14. A phonograph-tablet composed partially ofgul tapercha,adapted tobesottcned by heet and hardened by cold or chemicals for preservation subsequently to receiving the pho.- nographic record, substantially as described.

l5. A recording und reproducingf tablet for phonograpbic purposes, consisting of a sur.

face composed of made more or less the application of substances adapted to be plastic by temperature or chemicals and made hard record, su bstentinlly es' and resistent subsequently to receiving the record of said phonograph by other tempcr atnre or chemicals, the whole constructed to' be used for receivjngthe record in a soft and plastic condition and to -be used for repro ducing the said iecord in a hard and resisteht condition, the said surfece supported by e laterally flexible and collapsible foundation adapted to be flattened or folded together, substantially as described.

16. As an article of manufacture, a col lepsible iiexible .having e. surface of considerable thickness to receive and retain the record made by lthe stylus of e phonograph or the like, said surface composed of 'a materiel softened by e moderate heat; artificially applied thereto and subsequently hardened by the cooling'effeet of en ordinary atmospheric temperature, said tubular tablet adapted to be expanded for use upon the cylinder of a phonograph and at other times preserved in a collapsed. or flattened state, substantially as described.

' ISA'AC W. HEYSNGER.

Witnesses:

J. L. HEYSINGER, in'. B. FENMNGER.

tubular phonograph-tablet 

